Self-study
Columbia Law School
(CLS)
Columbia Law School
(CLS)
Admissions stats
Accepts GRE
Offers part-time
Median GPA
3.92
Median LSAT
173
Acceptance rate
12%
LSAT vs GPA
Last cycle's acceptance stats
Based on 2025 data from ABA
LSAT
169
173
175
GPA
3.85
3.92
3.98
Projected acceptance stats
Projected from 7Sage applicants
LSAT
174
176
178
GPA
3.87
3.97
3.98
Admissions funnel
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Applications
9463
100%
Accepted
1120
12%
Matriculated
412
4%
Your chances
At Columbia, your chances increase by 5.9% if your LSAT score increases by 3 points.
Subscribe.
Trends
Columbia acceptance rate trend
Based on data from ABA
Columbia rankings trend
Based on data from US News and World Report
Columbia LSAT trend
Based on data from ABA
Columbia GPA trend
Based on data from ABA
Employment
Employment outcomes
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Full-time legal employment
95%
Full-time non-legal
4%
Unemployed
1.0%
Top employment locations
Based on 2024 data from ABA
New York
362
District Of Columbia
44
California
34
International
11
Jobs by employer type
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Law firms
75%
1-25
0.8%
26-500
9%
501+
65%
Business & industry
1.0%
Government
5%
Public interest
11%
Clerkship
7%
Federal
6%
State
0.8%
Tribal
0%
International
0.2%
Education
0.2%
Unemployed
1.0%
Tuition & costs
Tuition
Annual tuition, 2025-2026
$81,888
Estimated 3 years: $245,664
Cost of living (off-campus)
$30,117
Estimated 3 years
$90,351
Total cost
$114,937
Estimated 3 years
Estimated summing tuition, fees, and living expenses over 3 years.
$344,811
Tuition progression
Scholarships
Median scholarship
$30,000
25th percentile: $19,000
75th percentile: $50,000
Scholarship amounts
<50%
61%
50-100%
30%
100%
8%
>100%
0.9%
Demographics
Out of 1353 students in 2024, 51% were women, and 59% were racially or ethnically minoritized [?].
By gender
Students
Men
45%
Women
51%
Other
0%
Full-time faculty
Men
57%
Women
42%
Other
2%
Part-time faculty
Men
63%
Women
37%
Other
0.3%
By race/ethnicity
Students
White
41%
Black
11%
Asian
29%
Hisp
10%
PI
0%
AI
0.2%
2+
1%
Unk
7%
Int'l
0%
Graduates
White
57%
Black
11%
Asian
21%
Hisp
7%
PI
0%
AI
0.2%
2+
0%
Unk
5%
Int'l
0%
Full-time faculty
White
78%
PoC
23%
Part-time faculty
White
79%
PoC
21%
Columbia student and staff demographics
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Men
608
-
68
211
Women
694
-
50
123
Other gender
0
-
2
1
White
552
302
93
263
Asian
393
110
-
-
Hispanic
141
37
-
-
Black
147
59
-
-
Pacific Islander
0
0
-
-
American Indian
3
1
-
-
International
0
0
-
-
2+ races
16
0
-
-
Other
101
24
-
-
People of Color
801
231
27
72
Frequently asked questions
Yes, admission to Columbia is highly competitive. For the 2025 application cycle, the Columbia acceptance rate was 11.84%.
To be a competitive applicant at Columbia, you should aim for an LSAT score around the median of 173 and a GPA of 3.92. The middle 50% of accepted students scored between 169 and 175 on the LSAT.
For the 2025 academic year, Columbia tuition is $81,888 for full-time students. When factoring in the cost of living and additional fees, the total estimated cost of attendance is $114,937 per year.
Yes, Columbia is a highly regarded institution. It is currently ranked #9 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings for 2026.
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